I'm super happy to hear that. It's kind of my entire intention to the game. I've lived in a rural area my entire life and I love it here. I love the culture, I love the attitudes of a lot of people, I love the warmth and hospitality that you find among, like, the communities that rural folks tend to form together. I especially remember it when I was younger. A lot of LC comes from what I remember from, like, 90s childhood in rural Virginia, haha. Even the most chaotic or rudest folk tend to have good hearts somewhere in their under their...difficult exteriors.
I imagined that Atlas really is just, like, kind of a bully. Out of Nico's six kids, most of them are good hearted but Atlas has that "difficult child" mentality where he's kind of mean and bossy at times and I think he's just like...testing his boundaries as a child by bullying Cooper. and because he's one of the bigger siblings, kids like Azel and Hermes fall in line with him as their big brother. Atlas and Shenandoah are the goofier/friendlier of Nico's kids, along with TJ, so they tend to do their own thing. I do imagine that different species have different traits about them that anthros learn to tolerate as they get older, though, like scent especially. So I imagine Atlas and Hermes and them DO think Cooper stinks because he's a different species they're not as familiar with, but they've not, like, learned the social skills to not say that LMAO. Nico probably teaches them well but they ARE wild kids who probably act out when he's not around. The same kind of way that kids have no problem loudly pointing out that someone's fat or bald or something.
also POOR NICO! The boy's been through so much! he deserves better than to be dressed as a farm animal. you should do it though. it'd be hilarious.